The Middle English charters of Christ ...

BOD. 89

Hic incipit carta Christi

Ihesu crist of heuene and helle [folio 45] Man and womman I wolle ȝow telle what loue I haue done to the looke what loue thou haste don to me Off alle Ioyes þou were ouȝt pilt Line 5 wiþ trosoune and wiþ þi gilt Pore thou were dreuen away As a beest þat goþe astray ffrom heuene riche I come downne To seche þe from towne to towne Line 10 My Erytage þat is so free In thyn myschieft I ȝeue hit þee Line 12

Line 12 Whanne I þat ȝeft ȝeue scholde Line 13 I dede os the lawe wolde To a mayden I demede to me Line 15 ffor none chalenge scholde be Wel derwurthly she kept me Til I my tyme wolde see ffourty wokes and fourty dayes To fulfille the olde lawes Line 20 That made was mylde and free She resceyued me for the Me thi manhode and þi grace Thus come þis sesynge first in place Whanne þat sesynge was I-doo Line 25 Wele grete enuy hade thy foo Belsebub and sathanas hadde grete ferly whi hit was Thei fonded me wiþ felonye [folio 45b] Wiþ Couetise and glotonye Wel thei wiste þat I was man But synne on me founde þei none Line 32

Line 32 hard he þrette me in his þought Line 33 That seynge scholde be dere bought he sente his seriantes wiþ enuye Line 35 wiþ woo and sorow me to destroye wele he founde him gayned nought another help was in my tought More seker the to make agayn thi foo ful of wrake Line 40 heuene and Erthe in present To make a chartre of feffement In which manere be-houethe to be That I moste ȝeue my lyf for the ffor thou art dede thorough rief Line 45 I moste deye to ȝeue þe lyf Many a way I haue I-goo In hunger therst chele and woo Thratty ȝere and more þanne [Ms. þanme.] too Or my dede were fully doo Line 50 Ne myght I fynde no parchemyn ffor to laste wiþ-oute fyn Line 52

Line 52 But as loue badde me doo Myn owene skynne I toke þerto To gete me frendes I ȝaf grete mede Line 55 As dothe the pore þat hath grete nede [folio 46] On a thursday a feste I made ffrende and foo to make glade wiþ mete and drinke to sowle foode wiþ holy wordes my flesshe and blood Line 60 This I made for mankynde My loue-dedes to haue in mynde Line 62 . . . . . Line 63 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line 66

Susceperunt me sicut leo paratus ad predam

A kyrtill I hadde clothes moo Line 67 alle I hadde sone for-goo Line 68 . . . . . . . . . . Line 70 . . . . . . . . . . Line 72

Line 72 ffrende and foo þat wiþ me eten Line 73 In [Ms. Im.] my nede alle from me ȝeden To a piler I was pight Line 75 Tuggyd and drawen alle a nyȝt and wasshen me myn owen bloode and strayned me strayet on þe rode I-strayned to dethe on a tree as parchemyn owiþe to be Line 80 here hit now and ȝe shull wete how þis Chartre was I-wrette The Iewes fel wiþ grete swynke Of my bloode made þei ynke The pennes þat lettres wreten Line 85 was schorges þat he was wiþ smyte how many lettres þer-on ben Rede and thou may wete and sene a þousannd .iiij. c and fyfti and teen wondes on me bothe rede and wan [folio 46b] To she ȝow alle my dede My self wil this Chartre welle rede Line 92

Line 92 . . . . . Line 93 . . . . . . . . . . Line 95 . . . . .

O vos omnes qui transitis per viam attendite & videte etc

wiþstonde and here the chartre rede Line 97 whi I am wonded and for-blede

Sciant presentes & futuri &c

wete ȝe þat ben and shall be-tyde I ihesu wiþ wondes wyde Line 100 That was born in Bedelem and Offred into Ierusalem Line 102 The kynges sone of heuene aboue [awowe cancelled and aboue interlined.] wiþ myn fadre wille and loue Made a feffynge whanne I was borne Line 105 To mankynde þat was for lorlorne wiþ my Chartre her in present I make here a confirmement That I haue graunt and I-geue wiþ my kynde for to leue Line 110 In my regne of heuene blis To haue and to holde wiþ-ouȝt mys Line 112

Line 112 In condicioune ȝif thou be kynde Line 113 And my loue-dedes haue in mynde ffree to haue and fre to holde Line 115 wiþ alle þe purtenaunce to wolde Myn Erytage þat is so free ffor homage ne for feaute Nomore wolle I aske of the A foure leued gresse ȝilde thou me Line 120 That oon leef is shrift of herte [folio 47] That oþere for synne hert smyrt The thridde in wille nomore do so The fourthe drede me euere mor whanne thise to-gydre sitte Line 125 A trewe loue men clepyn hit Off þis be nouȝt be-hynde ffor thorowe þe ȝere thou may hit fynde Or to seche hit in my wonde ffor there may trewe love be founde Line 130 ȝif thou be fallen and gretely mys-take My dede wolle I not for-sake Line 132

Line 132 So þat þou amende and mercye craue Line 133 Thyn Erytage þou shalt haue The seles þat I was seled wiþ Line 135 Thei were grauen on a stithe Off golde and sylvere were þei nouȝt But of Iren and stele I-wrought Line 138 . . . . . . . . . . Line 140 Iren nayles threlede me Thorough hand and foot in-to þe tree Line 142 The Selynge wax dere bought Line 143 atte myn herte rote I-soughte Tempred wiþ wermyloun Line 145 Of my bloode þat run adoune

ffactum est cor meum tanquam [The final letter is blurred by a crease in the manuscript.] cera liquescens in medio ventris mei

Iren nayles were sete there thanne On fader and sone god and man The first þat þou leue moste That I come of þe holy gooste [folio 47b] Line 150 wiþ playn power þy state to make a Croune opone heuede I take Line 152

Line 152 Of thornes in tokenyng þat I am kynge Line 153 and frely may ȝeue alle þinge This wittenessith Iwis all Line 155 On knees to me thei gan falle and a-lowede crie on hir scornynge welcome be thou Iwys kynge Betwene too men I was seled Boþe were seke þe ton heled Line 160 Betwene too þeues on highe pight That I of alle men myght haue a siȝt That Est and west on wilde hille I may Iuge bothe goode and elle

Quia neque ab oriente neque ab occidente &c

Of threste I was sore be-swonke Line 165 The beuerage moste nede be dronke A leef drinke I axed of þe Eysell an and galle thei ȝaf me Line 168 This wittenesse þe Iewes alle Line a On knees to me þei gan falle [Repetition of lines 155-6 above.] Line b and also wittenessith Mathew and Iohn luke marke and many one Line 170 and namely my moder swete ffor she left neuere teres to wepe Line 172

Line 172 Or þis Chartre wreten was Line 173 Oft sche saide allas allas So bare I was of worldes goode [folio 48] Thanne I deyede on þe rode That ne hadde where-to to take Line 177 My testament where-of to take But my leef moder dere She stoude by me wiþ rufull chiere Line 180 whenne I to my Cosyn here tok[e [e is indicated here, but hidden by a fold in the paper.] ] Sche kest vp many a sory looke In knowynge I made a cry Line 183

Pater lamaȝabatany

Beholde man wiþ hert and eye ffor þi loue now shall I deye

Consummatum est

this Chartre is now doone Line 187 Man þou hast ouerecome þi foone To helle I went this chartre to shewe To-for thi foo sathanas þat shrewe Line 190 he was shent and brouȝt to grounde Thurgh nayles bore and speres wounde Line 192

Line 192 A Chartre of couenauntes made was Line 193 Betwene me and sathanas Alle my cataill to haue a-way Line 195 That he me reft wiþ his fals pray aȝein I cam and a feste a-monge the meeste and the leste Thanne atte þe firste men gan know me That I was man of grete postee Line 200 . . . . . . . . . . That feste was of Ioye and blys That pasche day cleped is [folio 48b] On endenture I laft wiþ þe Line 205 That euere thou scholdest seke be In preestes honde my fflesshe and blod That for þe deyde on þe rode a bykeye I toke þe also The Tokyn þat I was on doo Line 210 To bere wuþ the where thou goo Thanne dare the nouȝt drede þi foo Line 212

Line 212 To my fadour I most goone Line 213 ffor alle his wille I haue doon Line 214 a cote armuour I bare wiþ me Line 215 ffor þat I tooke of thy lyuerere That chothe was good and fyn The chaumpe was of rede chame|lyn A wele faire may hit wrought and ought of here boure I hit brought Line 220 I powdred wiþ fyn rose rede woundes þat I tholede dede Whanne I come oft agayn to the Ther-by þou mayst knowe me Line 224

Line 224 Thise þat ben of rent by-hynde Line 225 and thise dedes haue not in mynde Sore may thei þa ben a-dradde Whanne þis Chartre shall be redde alle þei shulle to helle pyne wiþ me to blis hulle gone myn Line 230 Pay þei rent and kepe þe from gilt [folio 49] Come and chalenge what þou wilt To þat blis þat lost oure forme frende Crist vs brynge wiþ-oute ende Amen [For marks of ownership, etc., occurring upon this folio, see description of the MS. at pp. xxxi f.] Line 234

Explicit carta Christi